Imperial henchmen? My divine skills are all hacked versions.

After leaving the Jiaofangsi, Xu Xian did not return to the Qingzhou Inspection Office.

He led the horse, with Ouyang Ruiming sitting on its back, his hands loosely bound in front of him by a strip of cloth, but the other end of the cloth was held in Xu Xian's hand.

Although a martial artist in the Body Tempering Realm can easily break free with a slight struggle, the procedure still needs to be followed.

Yang Xu parted ways with him at the entrance of the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau), patting him on the shoulder as he left.

"Be careful. This woman managed to get close to you twice, at Taibai Tower and Jiaofangsi. She's quite cunning. Keep a close eye on her."

Xu nodded, mounted his horse, and headed towards the post station.

Pushing open the door to the inn, Hua Xi was sitting cross-legged on the bed feeding turtles.

The turtle lay on the pillow, its beady eyes half-closed, looking like it was too lazy to move after eating.

Hearing the door open, Hua Xi looked up, her gaze passing over Xu Xian and landing on the woman behind him whose hands were bound.

"Brother, who is she?"

"Assassin, come and kill me."

Hua Xi jumped off the bed, hugged the tortoise, walked up to Ouyang Ruiming, and looked up at her.

Ouyang looked down at the little girl who only reached her chest, and said nothing.

Hua Xi's gaze moved down from Ouyang's face, stopped at a certain spot, and then looked down at her own chest.

He turned to look at Xu Xian with some surprise.

"Brother, hers is only a little bit younger than me."

Xu Xian pressed Ouyang down into a chair, his lips twitching slightly. "Indeed."

Ouyang Ruiming's face flushed red.

Biting his lip, he glared at the two figures in front of him, one big and one small, wanting to curse but unable to find the right words.

Hua Xi was still carefully comparing herself to Ouyang, then looked down at herself, then at Ouyang, before looking up at Xu Xian and asking, "So, would she be considered a big-breasted woman?"

Xu leaned the eight-sided sword against the edge of the bed and finally turned to look at her.

"Calculate!"

Hua Xi nodded in satisfaction, placed the tortoise on the table, then walked up to Ouyang, stood on tiptoe, and gently poked her chest.

Ouyang froze.

"It is indeed true."

Hua Xi turned around and gave Xu Xian a thumbs up, "Brother wasn't lying, it's really big!"

Xu Xian rolled his eyes, sighed deeply, and squatted down in front of Ouyang.

"You'll stay here tonight. You can't leave this courtyard, but you're free to move around. Go to the kitchen to get your own water. There are pastries on the table if you get hungry. Don't try to run away."

Ouyang Ruiming sneered and remained silent. Xu Xian didn't care either, stood up, walked to the bedside, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his qi and blood.

  

...

It was just past midnight.

Xu Xian sat cross-legged on the bed, breathing steadily. Very faint footsteps came from the floor. They were not Hua Xi's. Hua Xi never hid her footsteps. Her short legs always made a pattering sound when they stepped on the wooden floor.

The steps were extremely light and steady, indicating that the practitioner had deliberately lowered their center of gravity while moving.

Ouyang Ruiming walked around the foot of the bed and stood by Hua Xi's bedside for a few moments.

Xu Xian did not open his eyes.

He heard her bend down and gently and slowly lift Hua Xi out of the bed.

Hua Xi rubbed her eyes groggily, looked at the face in front of her, and then looked down at the hands that were holding her.

The turtle slid out of the blankets and landed on the bed. It blinked its beady eyes, then rolled over and lay face down on the pillow to continue dozing off.

"What are you going to do?"

Hua Xi grabbed the turtle with her short arms and lifted it up. She tilted her head and looked at her, somewhat bewildered.

Ouyang Ruiming held Hua Xi in his arms, placed one hand on her back, and looked at Xu Xian.

"Xu Xian! I know you're awake. Now, take your sword and kill yourself, or I'll kill your sister."

Xu Xian didn't even lift his eyelids, "Oh."

silence.

Ouyang Ruiming waited for a while, but found that Xu Xianzhen really didn't follow up.

She stood there, holding Hua Xi, frozen in place. Hua Xi yawned against her chest, her head drooping little by little, and she looked like she was about to fall asleep again.

Ouyang glanced down at her. The girl wasn't afraid at all; she even adjusted her position in Ouyang's arms, pressing her face against Ouyang's chest, and smiled with satisfaction.

"It's softer than my brother's pillow."

"Did you hear me! If you don't kill yourself, I'll—"

"Do as you please."

Xu Xian still didn't open his eyes.

Ouyang Ruiming was completely stunned.

She looked down at the little girl in her arms, who was snuggling against her chest, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position, and then looked up at Xu Xian, who was meditating with his eyes closed.

Her hand was pressed against Hua Xi's back; with just a little force, she could shatter the girl's heart meridian.

But looking at Hua Xi's sleepy face, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

She was a suicide squad member who had killed many people, all of them in a direct confrontation. Her sword had never been stained with the blood of innocent people.

When the thought flashed through her mind, she found it laughable—a killer, what right did he have to talk about chivalry?

She gritted her teeth, picked up Hua Xi, and slowly moved towards the outside of the house, watching Xu Xian's reaction.

Xu Xian didn't even lift his eyelids.

Hua Xi opened one eye in her arms and looked at her chin. "Sister, where are you taking me?"

"Don't speak."

Hua Xi gave an "oh" and buried her face back into her chest to continue sleeping.

Ouyang carried Huaxi back into the courtyard.

Moonlight spilled onto the bluestone slabs, and the shadow of the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard swayed in the wind.

She put Hua Xi on the ground, squatted down and patted her head. "Sister won't hurt you. Sister just had no choice. Don't be afraid. Go back inside. It's cold outside."

Hua Xi looked up at her, blinked, and asked, "Sister, are you a good person?"

Ouyang Ruiming paused for a moment, then gently shook his head. "No."

She stood up, turned around, and was about to leave when Xu Xian's voice suddenly came from inside the room.

"Xiao Xi, don't let her go, and don't hurt her."

Ouyang was startled and looked down at Hua Xi.

The little girl wasn't fully awake yet; her hair was disheveled and draped over her shoulders. She was holding a turtle in her arms and standing barefoot on the bluestone slab.

She rubbed her eyes, looked at Ouyang, and then threw the turtle in her arms at her.

The tortoise flipped halfway in the air and landed precisely on Ouyang Ruiming's head. Helplessly, it closed its eyes and retracted its limbs and head.

Ouyang Ruiming was startled.

The turtle was very light, landing on her head like a leaf, but an extremely heavy force came down from it, making her blood and qi stagnate.

She remained frozen in place, unable to move, maintaining the posture of turning and taking a step.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Hua Xi yawned, turned around, and walked into the house.

"Big-breasted sister, you can stand here in the yard for now, I'm going to sleep."

...

The next morning, when Xu Xian opened the door, Ouyang Ruiming was still standing in the yard.

He remained in the same position for most of the night, his hair was wet with dew, his face was pale and bluish, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Hua Xi peeked out from behind Xu Xian and looked at her, "Brother, big-breasted sister has been standing all night, aren't your legs sore?"

Xu Xian walked over and took the turtle off her head, returning it to Hua Xi.

The turtle was curled up in its shell, its eyes half-closed, looking like it was sleeping even more soundly than Hua Xi.

Ouyang was finally able to move. He looked at the turtle in Xu Xian's hand with great surprise, then at Hua Xi, wondering whether there was something wrong with the turtle or the little girl.

Xu Xian took Ouyang Ruiming's soft sword out of the room and placed it on the table, then pushed a plate of osmanthus cake in front of her.

Ouyang sat down, glanced at him, picked up the plate and started eating. He ate quickly but not in a disheveled manner. After finishing, he put the plate down and looked up at him.

"What do you want to ask?"

"You'll be informed when we get there."